Today humanity pours tens of billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and oceans every year. This sudden increase is altering the balance of our planet’s climate that has allowed human civilization to thrive over the last several thousand years. We believe that climate disruption is a human health, economic and moral issue that involves us all, and that together we have the tools to overcome this problem and create a better society for all of us, a better future for our children. In our reflective moments, we offer our encouragement to our leaders in government and elsewhere, and perhaps more importantly to each other.

Midway through the 2015 United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris (COP 21), we joined together on December 4th – 6th, to take some time from our days to celebrate and reflect on Earth’s life-giving environment and our role in maintaining it. We also sent our thoughts and prayers to the people of Paris and other victims of global violence around this time, and reflected on this issue as well. Participants from around the world did this in whatever way they chose – contemplation, prayer, meditation, or otherwise, individually or gathering together in their local community.

Everywhere, and all together.

Global Reflection is an effort organized by the Climate Crisis Coalition, Interfaith Moral Action on Climate, and a group of concerned citizens from around the world. As individuals, we continue to reflect on these issues, and our intention is to organize and host future times of global reflection as we find the opportunity is right…

The 21st “Conference of the Parties” (COP21) involves delegates from 192 countries who will attempt to work together to fashion a new international agreement on climate change. This will be the 21st COP since the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, acknowledging the existence of anthropogenic (human-induced) climate change a major threat to a sustainable planet.

The Kyoto Protocol, which commits industrialized countries to internationally binding emission reduction targets, was the first climate treaty to emerge from this process. It was passed at COP3 in December 1997 at Kyoto, Japan and came into force in February 2005 when a sufficient number of developed countries signed the agreement; the United States did not, hampering negotiations for the next decade.

A successor agreement, involving all countries and with stronger provisions, is long overdue. A growing number of governments, NGOs and climate activists are committed to making COP21 the occasion for this to happen.